PESHAWAR: Like other parts of the country, lawyers boycotted courts and staged demonstrations in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the killing of two legal practitioners in Daska allegedly by the police.

In the provincial capital, lawyers took out a rally from outside the Peshawar High Court to Rehman Baba Chowk and blocked roads causing traffic jams.

They shouted slogans against the police and demanded strict action against the policemen responsible for Daska killings.

Later protesters later offered funeral of the deceased lawyers in absentia on the high court premises.

PHC Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and judges Asadullah Chamkani, Roohul Ameen Khan and Mohammad Daud Khan also attended the funeral.

Also in the day, the PHC Bar Association and Peshawar District Bar Association held a joint general body meeting, which was chaired by PHCBA president Fida Gul.

The meeting was addressed by senior PHCBA members Zahoorul Haq and Lateef Afridi, PBA president Ismail Khalil, PHCBA secretary general Taif Khan, Abdul Sattar Khan, Ghulam Nabi Khan, Mohammad Ayaz Khan, Pir Fida and Jamal Khattak.

Demand strict action against culpable policemen

The speakers condemned Daska killings and urged the Punjab government to register a case against the relevant police officials under the Anti-terrorism Act.

By unanimously passing a resolution, they demanded exemplary punishment for the policemen involved in the killings.

The speakers said the police had become a rogue force with their officials terrorising the people without let or hindrance. They said the police should be purged of the black sheep for defaming the entire force.

Meanwhile, the District Bar Association Haripur on Tuesday condemned Daska killings and demanded the trial of killers in the anti-terrorism court.

Lawyers boycotted local courts and held a condolence reference for the deceased lawyers.

DBA president Khursheed Azhar told participants of the reference that lawyers would make every effort to ensure that the policemen responsible for the killing of two legal practitioners are punished.

He said the case should be referred to the anti-terrorism court.

Azhar said lawyers won’t accept partial inquiry into the killings as was done by a joint investigation team into the Lahore Model Town killings.

He suggested that the Pakistan Bar Council and Punjab Bar Council pay Rs2 million to each family of the deceased lawyers.

The DBA president also demanded that the Punjab government pay compensation to the families under the Shuhada Package.

He said the police killed lawyers deliberately, so the two should be considered ‘martyrs’ and their families should be paid compensation under the Shuhada Package.

Azhar said the DBA Haripur would observe a three-day mourning against Daska killings.

He said the District Bar Association would strictly follow the future course of action finalised by the PBA.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2015

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